Daughter to Father
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: Everyone can see she has daddy issues, but how deep do they go...
1. Daddy, Please

**A/N: I'll just start this. I'm doing another Artemis series, this one focusing on her daddy issues. I'm limiting myself at ten chapters and anything beyond that is just going to be extra and/or sporadic. I've got at least five in my head, but the others will come, I can promise that. Artemis inspires me.**

**Let's start with something dark…**

**Disclaimer: Still do not own.**

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><p><strong><em>Daddy, Please…<em>**

His howl rang through the building, shaking the floorboards and even the bed she hid under. "Where is she?" he snarled, knowing very well his smaller offspring was sheltering herself from his outburst. "Where is that damn girl?"

The tears streaked down her face, leaving wet trails along her cheeks. She knew her teddy bear's head was ripped off; the stuffing was scattered across the floor: shrapnel.

Light poured down on her from the bathroom's open doorway as her father lifted the bed she was shivering beneath. He seethed rage, spitting as he demanded, "Where's Jade?" His nose was crinkled up in anger, his forehead creased, and anger boiled in his eyes. "Where's your damn sister?"

Artemis couldn't help but curl up tighter, if it was possible. She was just trying to protect herself from his dangerous blows. From prior experiences, she knew how much his fist could hurt or the toe of his metal-plated boots. The girl's voice came out as a whimper. "She- She left."

Lifted to her feet by her ponytail, the girl's shriek was loud enough to wake the dead. Then her hair was yanked back so she was staring up into her father's enraged orbs. "_Where did she go_?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Why did the neighbors not call the police? Couldn't they hear her scream? "She didn't say!" Her innocence was all that kept her from getting the bad end of the stick before, but it did dump all the danger onto Jade. Now Jade was gone and there was only one daughter to hit. "She left, Daddy, I'm sorry!"

She'd tried so hard to get her sister to stay. She just wanted their family to stay together, to be able to draw pictures of happy people for her teachers and to keep her head up. Everyone knew her mother was in prison and that her father was an ex-convict. Jade had received the worst end of that deal too, finding no friends to be made with such a record. Now Artemis had to pick up the slack for everyone, trying to piece together the lost pieces of the puzzle.

He let go of her hair and paced back to the upturned bed on the other side of the room; disgust laced his features. Jade was the girl he should've been keeping an eye on because he knew she'd try to run. When had been the only question left in his mind.

He'd missed her.

He'd lost his daughter.

His assassin.

Crock turned back to his daughter and let loose the coldest laugh imaginable, looking at his small, tear-stained daughter as she clenched her fists at her side and stood tall and proud. She was the bravest of all the weaklings he called a family. Why had he even bothered with Jade? She was physically capable and easier to train, but Artemis was mentally stronger, more determined.

She could learn. She _would_ learn. He'd have a new assassin whether the girl would like it or not. He couldn't give Jade to the Shadows now, so his youngest would have to suffice as payment. His voice smoothed itself out, saying, "Artemis, I'm sorry."

"No you're not." Her face was set in stone, features angry, hateful. She knew why Jade had run away; for being so young, she was brighter than her father could ever imagine. Artemis stayed to see her mother again. She loved her mother. And in five or six years, maybe she'd be out of prison on probation and she'd come back home and take care of her lost daughter again. Both of them, if Jade came back. "You're not sorry. You _hurt_ her. She was afraid of you. Jade doesn't want you anymore, and she almost took me with her."

Lawrence had to suppress it. Jade had almost taken his newest apprentice, the damned girl. How could she have possibly been his daughter? Artemis was much better anyways, younger, more impressionable. Artemis could be trained. He knelt down, getting to her level. "Artemis, your sister may come back one day, and she'll want to hurt you and I."

"_You hit her_."

The fatherly instincts had never come naturally. Reaching out his arms to his youngest daughter, he had to accept it when she shied away like a cornered tiger. "You should learn how to defend yourself."

"Against _you_." More tears were bubbling from her eyes. She'd already lost her mother and now her sister and her father was being insane by thinking she'd go to him now. They lived under the same roof and shared the same blood, but that did not mean she wanted anything to do with him. All Artemis needed was food and water. Beyond that, her father meant nothing.

"Artemis, I love you, baby." He even cracked a smile, his greatest illusion yet. "You've always been my little girl." He only needed to coax her into his arms… He needed to have her close, to show her who was really in power…

She swallowed hard. As much as she wanted to keep their family from falling apart, she would have to use him as her tool. Until her mother came back, her dad was all she would have. The girl stepped forward, accepting but just out of reach. "I want to keep us together. Everyone." She kept up her brave face no matter how hard it was when she was staring Danger right in the eye. "You, me, Mom, Jade. We're a family whether you like it or not."

He moved forward and took his baby girl into his arms, tucking her tightly against his chest and letting her cry. "I'll keep us together, Artemis. I'll teach you things," he promised, "and you and I can go find Jade. _Together._"

His biggest lie.

Unaware, the girl merely whimpered in his arms, "Daddy…"

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><p><strong>AN: Review? More to come soon, possibly tomorrow so I don't forget these ideas…**

**~Sky**


	2. The Sacrifice

**A/N: Shorter. I actually wrote this on a store floor yesterday while my little sister was shopping. One of the weirdest places I've ever written.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

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><p><strong><span>The Sacrifice<span>**

"Why would you do this?" she hissed through gritted teeth, eyes set on her father's form as he stood ready to strike. He'd called her and said he wanted to meet to talk, but the offer of going to the Shadows for pay had brought out their tools of the trade. Her bow, his dagger. "Can't you just let me go? I'm out now, you let me-"

"I didn't _let_ you go, Artemis." His eyes, through the mask, are glaring the fiercest possible shade of blue. He kept his stance solid, unwavering. Lawrence Crock would _never _let her go. "You were always still under my wing whether you knew it or not. The bow is proof of that."

The weapon she held and the arrow nocked in it suddenly felt incredibly heavy. She had been carrying it for most of her life and painted it for her heroine role to escape her father's shadow, but it had always been the one her daddy has given her. Adjustments were made. Restrung every single time. Her bow was her life.

Artemis hardened herself against him, putting up her defenses. She made sure to keep the string pulled taut, ready to finish the job if he dared make a move. "You left m- _us _alone. You abandoned your family as soon as Mom came home."

"Your mother is tainted." Although she couldn't see it, his jaw tightened. "She doesn't believe in my ways anymore. Not like you do." Because she knew what he'd done in prison.

"I _don't_ believe in your _ways _anymore." At fifteen, she was aware of who her father was, what he did, and how many people he'd killed. There was a string of tally marks etched into the wall by the fridge; Artemis was planning on covering it up just like she tried to do with everything else, wiping away any evidence of the past.

A low chuckle came from her father. His stance now dropped, the dagger sliding back into a sheathe. And he took a step closer to his baby girl. "You think changing the uniform and sides changes who you are? Artemis, you're in over your head."

"You've paid them back," she hissed, fingers quivering as they held the bowstring back and kept the arrow in its place. "Jade joined the Shadows. That's enough. You trained me, but the debt is done, it's over."

Sportscaster had expected this to be clean. The retaliation his daughter was displaying was... unsettling. Maybe she'd finally grown a spine. "Artemis, she joined willingly. The Shadows still expect an assassin trained by me and brought in according to the agreement."

"You're out of prison now. Ra's deserves nothing. The deal was-"

"The _deal_," he sneered, "was for _me_. As much as I love you, baby, your mother was never part of the agreement. I was the only one who was going to get out in that raid."

Now her lower lip was quivering.

"Your mother would have gotten in the way of my training Jade." Then his voice went soft. His words sounded smooth like honey. "And Artemis, I know you won't believe me, but I was trying to spare you. I know your childhood was hard without your mother-"

"_Hard?_" she spat like it was poison rolling off her tongue. "I don't know a simple nursery rhyme. I fell asleep to _gunfire_. Jade mac and cheese was my birthday dinner every year because we didn't know how to make much else. You have the gall to say my childhood was _hard_ and that you were trying to _spare _me?" She was a fierce tiger now, ready to kill at the memories of her miserable life under his roof. "Look at me now, Daddy dearest. Was this the plan? Did I turn out the way you wanted me to?"

He never shied away from her accusations, knowing all of them were true. "Artemis, the deal was for the Shadows to break me out in exchange for one of you two to grow up and work for them. I chose Jade because I wanted to keep you from going through that. Breaking your mother out meant both of you."

She was shaking now. Hatred. Anger. Heartbreak. She felt it fresh in her chest.

"I saved you and sacrificed your sister." He had hated every moment of it, but he'd done it to keep his entire family from being killed. "And if Jade hadn't run away, you'd be going to school like a normal girl right now." Lawrence took a few steps forward, watching his daughter's tool drop to the floor. When he saw her give up altogether, her face fallen and her shoulders drooping in surrender, Crock stepped in to wrap his arms around his favorite daughter. "Even though you probably won't believe me, I _do_ love you, Artemis. And I _did_ try to save you from this life."

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><p><strong>AN: This feels really short. But this was what I wanted to get out.**

**Review?**

**~Sky**


	3. Don't Touch Him

**A/N: So here's another piece to this. My goal is to get most of my thoughts out before "Insecurity" airs in the US. This one is two pieces, both unrelated although could be seen as AU to each other.**

**Disclaimer: DC owns the characters.**

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><p><strong><span>Don't Touch Him<span>**

"Don't touch him!"

Wally looked up to see Artemis rushing towards him, bow clattering to the ground as she raced to stop the speedster from touching Belle Reve's soon-to-be newest prisoner. His jade eyes widened as she came closer and dropped to her knees beside him. "What? Why?"

Artemis pushed him away before poring over her father's fallen body. She was quick to check for his pulse, shaking fingers touching to his neck without missing a beat.

Slightly stunned from being shoved aside, Wally managed to get himself in a kneeling position to look over her as she began to feel for wounds. Or maybe she was trying to find weapons. He couldn't tell. "Artemis, what-"

"Shut up, Wally," she hissed through gritted teeth, trying to tune him out. Artemis had already found her father's pulse and just had to make sure he was alright. He'd taken a pretty hard hit to the head, and a severe concussion concerned her more than being grazed by a bullet at this point, but it didn't hurt her to check for external injuries. Besides, they couldn't have him bleeding out during to transport to Belle Reve or wherever they would send him.

He put a hand on her shoulder only to be shrugged off. "Talk to me, Artemis," he pleaded, emerald eyes glowing. "What can I do?"

She didn't find any external wounds, which was more than a relief. Her father would live to see another day as long as the concussion wasn't that bad. She'd watched him fall and it hadn't looked terrible.

"Artemis."

"Here." He just wouldn't shut up, so she had to keep him busy. So she started taking her father's weapons, handing them all to the speedster as she plucked them off her dad's limp form.

Instinctively, she knew where they all were. She peeled up his pant leg and pulled out two daggers before opening a pouch by his knee to take away a vial of poison. Artemis moved up by his shoulder and drew out his collapsible bo staff before moving towards his neck to grab at the knife he kept taped to his chest.

"How do you kn-"

"Hold on, Wally." She pulled two handguns from their holsters at his right hip and drew a syringe of tranquilizer out of the wrist of his glove in a secret fold. And she looked once more for any signs of more tools, unable to think of any others off the top of her head. She leaned back, sitting on her feet for a moment as her knees pressed into the dirt. And right there, she sent a little prayer up to Heaven for him.

"Artemis?" asked the redhead again, now putting a hand on her shoulder. He was beyond confused, unable to comprehend how she could know exactly where all his toys were without even thinking.

She sucked in a sharp breath; the secret was out. "He's my father."

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><p>"Don't touch him!"<p>

The bow was drawn, arrow aimed, face set with hardened determination as an explosion nearby went off, shaking the ground but not the girl. She stood ready to kill if he even laid a finger on the fallen speedster.

"Who is he to you, Artemis?" asked Sportmaster, looking down at the boy who couldn't be much older than his own flesh and blood. "Teammate?"

Her answer was hard through clenched teeth. "Partner." Since Aqualad had created something of a buddy system to prevent flaws in plans (such as the Amazo fiasco when Conner had run off and various others, most involving the clone), Wally and Artemis had been paired up for everything. Partners. Friends. More.

And the man was already aware. "A boyfriend?" he scoffed. "_Please_." He kicked Kid Flash right in the ribs, making the unconscious body groan in agony. "You can do better than this worthless sack."

She'd almost released the arrow upon seeing him kick Wally. "Dad, just leave him alone." Her voice leaked the desperation she was feeling, gaze now flickering between her boyfriend where he laid on the ground and her father who stood over him like the Grim Reaper, ready to steal Wally's final breaths. "He's unconscious, just let me take care of him really quick." She could already see the blood pouring out of a gunshot wound. Every inch of her was begging to get over there and tend to his injuries.

Sportsmaster stepped back with a wicked smile, watching as her bow was instantly dropped, clattering against the warehouse's floor. He was out of danger. And he watched as his baby girl began to patch up wounds, ripping apart the pants of her own uniform just to staunch the bleeding. "And you know he's yours?"

"Stop it." She pressed the cloth into the wound, hoping to at least slow Wally's blood loss. "Give me your shirt."

His daughter was infatuated with this boy, obviously, so Lawrence took off his shirt. Underneath, a knife was taped to his chest and a bo staff was carefully strapped to his shoulder. "Does he know?" asked the man as his daughter ripped the shirt from his proffering hand.

"He doesn't need to know." Her voice was hard as nails and sharp as knives. "I love him, that's what matters."

A cold chuckle came from above her and she just put more pressure on the wound. "Wait until he finds out about your family," taunted the masked father. "That love may not survive, Artemis."

"Shut up."

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><p><strong>AN: Review?**

**~Sky**


	4. Rebel Yell

**A/N: The sad thing is how easy this is to write for. Don't even need to try. It comes so naturally.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. At all.**

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><p><strong><span>Rebel Yell<span>**

Her bags had been packed for a week. And when he came home covered in blood that wasn't his own, she knew she had to run. Artemis had an escape planned out, and it was planned pretty well considering she was scarcely thirteen.

The bus station was just a few miles away, right on the outskirts of Gotham. She knew how to get there. She knew how long it took, how fast she had to run, how dangerous the journey would be. She'd take her bags and a few hundreds out of her daddy's wallet and make a break for it: that was the plan.

All Artemis wanted was to get away from him.

He was covered in blood, and for a few moments, she was genuinely worried. When he showed no signs of injuries while grabbing a beer from the fridge, she knew he'd killed again.

Striking the final nerve, she shut her book and began to head back to her room. "I'm going to bed," she sighed, barely offering a wave as she left the main area to head back to her own space.

"Night, baby," he called to his daughter in a hoarse voice before turning on the tv, volume low. "You want me to tuck you in?"

A pang of guilt hit her hard, but she knew this was for the best. "No, Daddy, I'm alright." Artemis shut the door with a faint _click!_

She moved to her closet on soft feet, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards. Opening the doors, she reached in and pulled out the bag packed with a book, the clothes she needed, and the necessities of life. Artemis looked to the door, wishing it didn't have to be this way, wishing her father would just stop what he did and breakaway from that life.

"I'll join you somehow, Jade."

Artemis threw it over her shoulder and set it on her bed. Collapsing her bow and packing in a few arrows, she prepared herself for the long trek that would turn into the rest of her life. She was taking this liberation into her own hands, and nothing would stop her from attaining freedom.

The window was only a few floors up. Training had hardened her so that such a fall would sting but leave nothing more that a dull ache for an hour or so. She tossed her bag out first, listening to the gentle _thud! _of her jeans padding the landing. Then she wriggled her own way out the window and let gravity pull her to the ground.

It stung but not for long. Adrenaline kicked in and the panic of being caught captured her heart, making her heart pound like a drum. Artemis looked back up to the window for a moment before finalizing the decision: she grabbed her bag and ran.

Alleys, broken sidewalks, and crumbling buildings slid past her as reality faded away, every fiber of her being focused on the escape. This would be her only chance because being caught meant closer surveillance and no opportunities for preparation. She had to get away _now_. Waiting any longer meant she might not have made it out without being caught.

Gravel flew up from under her feet; the girl ran alongside train tracks, knowing the next railcars that raced past would be around midnight. It was barely nine, and she couldn't stay long enough to try and catch a train. Artemis bolted, staying out of the light, staying away from anyone she came across. She wouldn't be seen, she _couldn't_ be seen.

Within an hour and a half of alternating jogging and running, the young girl could see the bus stop so close. The lights were glowing on the horizon, a beacon of hope, the last surge to freedom.

A rush of air brushed past her ear, and the whistling of an arrow screamed through the night air; the _twang!_ of the string finally caught up to her moments later.

Her feet kept flying, kicking up gravel, sneakers crunching over dead leaves. She couldn't stop, not now. The exhaust from an array of buses filled the air, the sweet aroma of freedom. The lights flickered at the station and another bus arrived. She could catch a bus to anywhere, really, as long as it took her far away from Gotham. Away from her father.

She just couldn't handle it anymore, the stress of wondering if he was alive, the pressure of becoming his protégé, the battle against the guilt of knowing that he could be killing someone any given moment he wasn't in the apartment. She couldn't live with any of it. No more. She didn't want it anymore.

Another arrow flashed past her, slamming into the ground just a few feet ahead. "Artemis!" came his ferocious roar from behind her. "Come back here!"

She didn't look back. She couldn't look back.

Because no matter what, he was still her father; since Jade had left and her mother had been put in prison, she'd promised that she'd bring their family back together again. She'd be there for her mother when she got home. She'd go with her father and find Jade, bring her home, and make the house a home again. She swore that her family was the most important thing in her life and that she'd repair all the damage done over the years.

"Artemis!"

No. She couldn't turn around, she couldn't keep that promise, and she wouldn't go back. She loved her father, that was undoubtedly true, but she wouldn't deal with it. No. No more.

She tripped.

Her foot caught a half-buried rock, and she was on the ground in a heartbeat; Artemis was scrambling to get to her feet a moment later, hands getting scraped by stones and gravel. She barely got to her feet and pulled her bag back over her shoulder before she felt his hand grab her ponytail and give a good yank, making her cry out in pain, her voice sharp and short.

"Where are you going?" he asked, voice like a wolf's feral growl. His other hand had gotten her shoulder and turned her around so gray eyes met gray eyes.

She tried to keep a proud heart, tried to face her jailer. Artemis knew she would break, but she couldn't give him the satisfaction so soon; the girl wouldn't give him more power over her. "I was going to find Jade." Her gaze was hard as stone, lower lip scarcely quivering. "I was going to bring her home."

"Why did you keep running?" An angered glint caught his vision; he could see the fear make her shiver.

Cleanly responding, she said, "I knew you wouldn't let me go." And she felt the bitter taste of prison rising on her tongue, the stench of freedom, the buses, fading fast as confrontation rose like a storm on the sea. "And I want my sister back."

A low, guttural growl thrummed out of his throat and he released his hold on her golden locks. Lawrence heard the gasp of relief she gave. "We'll find her _together_," he reminded sharply. "We agreed to this before, baby girl." He'd listen to her lie, let her believe she held the upper hand, and pretend like he didn't know what was going on that his dearest daughter was trying to abandon him in his time of need. "I don't want you going out on your own. You'll get hurt out in the real world."

Submission came quickly. He wouldn't hurt her, that was what really mattered because that was all she'd truly been afraid of. A hand catching her cheek, a shove into a wall, scissors taken to her hair… Artemis gave in, knowing it would buy her more time, a few more moments of living life. She just needed him to let her go, and maybe she could try again.

But somewhere deep in her heart, she knew she'd lost any chance at escape.

"Yes, Daddy."

"That's my girl." He gave her shoulder a good squeeze and pulled her close, even taking her bag upon his own shoulder. Right where his bow hung. The bow that he'd tried to kill her with.

Because Artemis knew too much. His daughter was a danger to his mere existence. And it scared him.

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><p><strong>AN: Review?**

**~Sky**


	5. Abandonment

**A/N: Here we go, another chapter of this…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

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><p><strong><span>Abandonment<span>**

"Artemis!"

She ignored it. It was probably just another dream. It had to be another hallucination. Artemis always wanted her sister to come back, but whenever she thought Jade had come home, she'd wake up and realize the bed was empty and that her sister wasn't there.

And Jade wouldn't be there. She would never be there. Jade wasn't coming home.

"Artemis!"

No. It was all in her head. She'd cried over her sister again that night, feeling weak and defenseless. It was all in her head. Jade wasn't coming home. She would never come home.

So she pulled her pillow over her head and bit her lower lip, fighting back another onslaught of tears. Jade wasn't there. It was just another dream; it was a hallucination.

_The voice wasn't real._

"Artemis! Open the window!"

A tear slipped loose, cascading down her cheek. It was a figment of her imagination. She was hallucinating again. She could get through this. It wasn't real. She could- She could get through this. She was strong, and it was fake, and-

"Em gái! Em gái, open up! Nhanh!"

But Jade had never spoken Vietnamese before in her hallucinations. The blonde removed the pillow that shielded her face and looked out the window, seeing her smiling sister standing there, keeping low so not to be seen. "Open up, Artemis, come on!"

She swung herself out of bed and felt her cold feet hit the floor as she began to pull the window open to allow her sister inside. As soon as it was wide enough, Jade shouldered her way in and clamored to stand upright, giving her baby sister a satisfied look. "Good to see you again, sis."

Artemis tried to keep from looking too happy quite yet. Some part of her still didn't want to believe it. This... was real? "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No, you're not," breathed Jade softly, hoping her sister would be quiet and listen. "I came to save you," she said gently, hoping their father wasn't home to hear. "Mom won't be home for three more years, and I can't leave you here any longer."

The silence between them was deafening until Jade continued, "I have a place. It's quiet, and you won't be bothered. I can visit you every day, and-"

"You want to take me away?" Her voice cracked upon asking.

A sixteen-year-old Jade's black brows knitted together as she nodded quickly. "Well, yeah." The tone of her voice even held puzzlement. "Dad's a bear to live with, and he's teaching you to kill, right? You shouldn't have to be dealing with that, Artemis. I can take you to safety, where you can sleep in peace, where you don't have to train-"

"Why should I go with _you_?" Because this was real. She couldn't cry about her sister being alive, coming home, and their whole family being together again. Artemis wanted a happy reunion, but instead, she was given a chance to escape her father and leave any dreams of a happy family behind.

Appalled, Jade's eyes narrowed. "Because I want to _save _you, Artemis. To him, you're just a weapon. You're his toy!" She fought to keep her voice low, hating how she could be caught at any moment with little chance of ever escaping. "You don't need to live this life!"

"And staying with you is any better?" spat the younger Crock, words like venom. "You left me, Jade!"

"I had to take care of myself first," she whispered darkly, unable to even look at her baby sister. "I'm sorry. It was selfish and wrong."

"Dad didn't leave me," snarled the smaller. Her eyes were hateful, enraged. "Dad may have done a lot of bad things, but he's always taken care of me. He doesn't leave me. He doesn't make me fend for myself." Her features hardened to stone. "_You _left me."

Realization dawned on her. The brainwashing had already begun. Artemis was under his spell, convinced she was learning to better the world, to save people by killing others. Artemis had succumbed to the training. By now, she was probably numb to anything he was forcing down her throat. She would take it at face value and move along, questioning nothing and embracing everything that spilled from his lips.

Even lies.

"Artemis," pleaded Jade, "I'm here now. I'll take you somewhere safe, where we'll stay until Mom gets out. I'll be there, and we won't need Dad. He doesn't deserve you, em gái. You're too good for him." She knelt down and stroked a few strands of long blonde hair from her beautiful baby sister's face; Artemis shied away from her touch. "Now come on, we'll go to Star City. We'll be safe there, and when Mom gets out, we'll come for her and she'll join us, alright? We'll be a family again, I promise you."

"No."

The assassin's eldest just reached for her sister's hands, hoping to convince her. "Artemis, please, come with me. You can't stay here. He'll hurt y-"

"_You _hurt me." The fury in the twelve-year-old's gaze was enough to rival Superman's heat vision. "You abandoned me, Jade." She swallowed hard and kept a strong voice; she wouldn't break. Artemis was so much stronger than that. Her daddy said so. "He didn't."

"And I won't do it again, Artemis, please, just come with me. You'll be safe-"

"Daddy!" she cried out. "Daddy, she's going to hurt me!"

Adrenaline pumped into her veins as fight or flight kicked in; Jade chose the latter. She scrambled out the window and was gone in a heartbeat, darting across the street and making her way down the road hiding behind cars and lingering in shadows, hoping not to be spotted if her father were to come and hunt her down. All she knew was that she couldn't get caught. Jade wouldn't fight her father; as much as she disliked her family, she would never think to kill any of them, especially not in cold blood.

The young blonde knew what loyalty was. She would never betray her father and abandon him the same way Jade had left them. Artemis waited until she could no longer see her sister before slipping back into bed and resting her head on her pillow once again

Lawrence Crock wasn't home. He hadn't been home all night.

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><p><strong>AN: Just to translate the Vietnamese for you real quick- em gái: little sister. Nhanh: fast. And… review?**

**~Sky**


	6. Along for the Ride

**A/N: For those of you who don't love Google like I do (or weapons), a cutlass is kind of like a pirate sword. Or at least I wanted Jade to fight with something like a pirate sword. Just so everyone knows.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong><span>Along for the Ride<span>**

She'd dismantled the chair last week and constructed it into a stylish broadsword, bedazzled with glitter and rhinestones. She'd been practicing some moves that she saw in all the old pirate movies, and her respect for Johnny Depp had substantially risen.

"I wanna go too!"

Jade and Lawrence, both carrying bags of armor and weaponry, turned to look at the six-year-old Artemis who raced towards them, her makeshift toy in hand. Neither said a word for a long moment until the little girl whined, "Please, Daddy? Please? I made my sword and everything!"

He laughed when she demonstrated her abilities; Jade's face twisted into a look of disdain.

"Come along, Artemis," said the blonde man, knowing he could strike a deal with the devil to sell this one's services too, if she proved to be any good with her weapon. "We'll show you how to train to be a real fighter."

The one thing neither could deny: Artemis had an adorable victory dance.

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><p>In the dead of night, they went out into an empty warehouse just a few blocks down; the cab driver was ever so kind (with a gun pointed to his head) to never mention the rides he gave the Crock family every night.<p>

"This is so huge!" squealed the young blonde, her blue-gray eyes flitting around the huge space, astounded at the size. They could build a whole playground in here! With big slides and everything! "Can we move here, Daddy?"

"No, Artemis." He zipped open his bag and pulled on the hockey mask. Not once did he look to his youngest. "Now be quiet, princess. No one can know we're here, alright?"

"Okay, Daddy."

Disgusted, Jade pulled on her own mask. At ten, she was already battle-trained and working for the League of Shadows; surprisingly, she never questioned her father's orders nor his judgment, but tonight, she was a bit worried. She began to shrug on her lightweight armor, the padding first.

"Here." Sportsmaster held out a sword to his eldest, a nice cutlass that he knew would serve her well. She preferred the sais that he sometimes offered as her tools of the trade, but she couldn't always work under ideal conditions: it was something Paula Crock had learned the hard way.

Artemis held out her own weapon, bedazzled and glitter-ified. "I'll be the best fighter ever!" she said, confidence flashing across her visage; in a heartbeat, she'd become a tigress hunting her prey. "Even better than you, Jade." A smile touched her features.

"Fight!"

Her father's call was a shock to hear in the near silence, and it sent a stunned sensation through her. There was barely a second to react before Jade's cutlass jabbed right past her face, narrowly missing her pink-flushed cheek.

Artemis was quick to bounce back, a smile planted on her face as she stepped forward, ducking under Jade's next jab, and took a stab at her sister's stomach.

The padding helped, and Jade was grateful for it. The wind was knocked out of her for a second, and Artemis took a weak swing at her arm, the one holding the cutlass; with a quick move, she'd pulled her arm out of the way and was landing a kick in her baby sister's side, knocking the little girl onto her hands and knees. The wooden sword still remained clutched within her small fist; her knuckles were white as snow.

There was no such thing as surrender in her mind. Maybe she'd heard her father say it too many times, maybe it was just her mentality. Artemis knew that she still stood a chance as long as she held her sword. Just as Jade was about to take a swing with the broad side of the blade, Artemis rolled out of the way. The slice banged into the floor, sending the vibrations through Cheshire; seeing her opportunity, Artemis bashed her sword on her sister's hands.

The cutlass's hilt clanged against the floor as a string of curses left Jade's toxic tongue.

"Good work, baby girl." He knelt down to hug his precious daughter, taking her into his open arms with the most loving smile plastered on his smug face. "You did really well!"

Her arms were thrown around his neck while her nerves continued to rattle her thoughts. No words came, just the sheer shock of what had just happened.

The dark-haired elder rubbed her hands, pulling off her gloves to check the damage. There was none, but a gaping hole had been ripped through her pride, and that was one thing that couldn't be healed so simply. Her dark eyes narrowed at her baby sister as the younger finally found words and began to chatter excitedly, their father listening with a certain intensity that he'd never shown when listening to his first born.

Jade picked up her cutlass and tried to end it all right there and then. She smashed her sister's sword to pieces.

The sound was a sickening echo, loud and dull to the listening ears. Artemis turned around, tears in her eyes; she knew what Jade had done just by listening. The rhinestones were scattered across the warehouse floor, the glitter in sparkling little piles. "Wh-why?" she whimpered.

Feeling her father's reproachful gaze like lasers on her skin, Cheshire shrugged, dropping her sword. "You needed a better weapon," was her lame excuse hissed through gritted teeth.

Sportsmaster hated seeing his little princess cry. Without hesitation, he drew out a bow and quiver. "Here you go, Artemis," he said quietly, getting her attention back. "You'd work better with this anyways. Close range seems to be a weakness for you." After all, she was more like her father, stockier, stronger. Jade was lithe and sleek, taking more after Paula.

Artemis took her new toy and pulled out an arrow, struggling to string it. Lawrence was quick to step in, the first of many archery lessons she would have with him.

Jade looked on, sick to her stomach. Artemis had come along for the ride, but now she was in over her head and didn't even know it.

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><p><strong>AN: …review?**

**~Sky**


	7. You Can Never Really Leave

**A/N: Another chapter. Yay!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own.**

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><p><strong><span>You Can Never Really Leave<span>**

"Hello, angel."

Artemis dropped the dish she was washing, listening as it shattered to the floor while all other senses searched for the human that bore that terrible voice. "Get out of my house."

Shadows shifted and Sportsmaster's dark form appeared near the hallway leading to the bedroom that she shared with Wally. His broad shoulders were the first noticeable feature, then the blonde hair, then the squared face and mirrored eyes. "Baby girl, you should always leave your doors open to family." A cunning smile spread across his face, demeanor dark and taunting like a cat toying with a mouse.

"You aren't welcome here." She didn't move a muscle, didn't dare to go towards him. Who knew if he had Shadows operatives outside waiting to shoot if she even twitched? "You never were and you never will be, Lawrence."

Her words cut to his core, but he returned with a simple, "That's Daddy to you."

"Get out."

Without even listening to her, he leaned against the corner between the kitchen and that hallway. "I heard you stopped the hero business." His arms folded across his chest and she thought he almost looked like the Jolly Roger in the dark shadows. "How come?"

Now, figuring she was safe by his relaxed manner and quiet temper, the young woman bent down to collect the shards of the shattered plate. He'd already come onto her sacred ground, then broken her plate, now he was trying to break her psyche as well? "I've been doing it my whole life," she said under her breath, "and I decided it was time to stop. You turned me into this when I was just a little girl and now I've decided I've grown out of it. I don't want to be a hero or a villain anymore." She felt his stare piercing her. "I just want to be Artemis."

"Artemis," he began, voice slow and soft, "has been a hero for nearly four years. Artemis has been an archer since she was eight years old." His voice was building up to a crescendo, his words grown loud and angry. "And Artemis has always been my baby girl, and she's wasting the gifts _I_ gave her!"

She flinched at his words and stood with the shards in her hands. The young woman moved towards the trash and dropped the pieces in, letting them clang into the can. "I don't want to be that kind of person anymore."

"Why would you throw your life away like this?" he yelled, a vein pulsing in his temple. "This is so mundane for you! You'll be bored!" And a hoarse laugh left his throat as he uttered softly, "You'll come back."

"Mom quit, didn't she?" quipped the girl, shooting her father a daring glare.

"Your mother is a _cripple."_

"Either way," Artemis leaned against the counter, arms now folded across her chest. She held the conversation now, able to make or break it. "-she quit. She stopped. And Jade stopped for a while, Dad. Jade was busy doing other things for almost three years, and look at her now. She stopped."

"But she came back," he said. "She came back and she's good as ever. Jade never lost her touch."

Artemis scowled. "And neither have I. I decided to quit. I don't want to do it anymore, Dad. I'm done. I want to live a normal life, go to school, maybe even start a family. I won't do it anymore. I'm done with it. All of it."

"You're destined to come back." He grinned darkly and then tucked himself back around the corner and into the shadows, a ghost in the blackness-

The front door swung open, Wally walking in with groceries loaded into his arms. He smiled upon seeing his beloved girlfriend. "Hey, babe," he breathed, eyes giving a soft glimmer in the room's faint light. He put down the groceries on the coffee table. "I got more ramen and stuff, even a few packs of hotdogs if we want to get fancy with it." His grin even widened.

She watched as her father, still hidden in the shadows, hidden in that hallway, lifted his arm; the familiar shape of a gun melted into his arm.

With shock flooding across her features, Wally noticed something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. "Artemis, what's-"

The gunshot rang out loud in the crisp air, and the crimson blood that spattered out of Wally's chest painted the walls like a Jackson Pollock piece. His limp body crumpled to the ground, a lifeless ragdoll in a red lake.

"No!" Artemis was at his side and on her knees, already making a futile attempt to staunch the blood flow. "Wally, Wally, stay with me," she pleaded. "Wally, I'm right here, please-"

"Artemis." And he was shaking her awake, concern in those handsome jade eyes. "Hey, didn't we agree that you couldn't have cold pizza before bed?"

She was shaking, sweat dripping off her brow, face flushed red. Artemis almost immediately reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and saying a hundred thanks to the world. The young woman felt him stroking her hair and then listened to his soft voice telling her, "Babe, it was only a nightmare. I'm right here, don't you worry about a thing." His lips touched her forehead reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

That didn't mean her father wouldn't come and take him from her.

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><p><strong>AN: Review?**

**~Sky**


	8. Line of Fire

**A/N: This one isn't nearly as long as the last one, but I like it just as much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't even know anymore…**

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><p><strong><span>Line of Fire<span>**

Bow drawn, arrow nocked, the blonde rushed through the front doors to see her entire team lying in the explosion's rubble. It was evident that they hadn't been hit by the worst of it, and Artemis could only assume it was Rocket's doing. She sent up silent thanks before moving to try and wake Robin who bore a big gash across his forehead but was otherwise unharmed.

The others had similar injuries but all lesser than the Boy Wonder's. The way Kaldur's foot was twisted, his ankle appeared broken and scratches lined his arms. Superboy's shirt was merely ripped (what a surprise...), and Megan lay in a sweat, the nearby fire keeping her in danger. Zatanna's dark jacket was slightly charred at one corner and her face looked scraped up. Beside Robin laid Wally, a bruised speedster; his ginger hair was close to the fire, and Artemis pulled him away from the danger. The only one who looked uninjured was Rocket, but exhaustion must have knocked her unconscious.

"I'll make you a deal," came the old enemy's voice, slicing through the sound of the cackling blaze. "I get you, and they get out safe."

She tore away Robin's cape, figuring he wouldn't mind much. The girl ripped off a strip and proceeded to wrap it around the raven-haired child's head as a bandage. "I don't make deals with assassins."

"But don't you want to save them, Artemis? After all, they're your _family."_ His voice was like venom as he then pressed a button to activate the next bomb. "So take your pick, baby girl. You've only got ten minutes."

And she wasn't strong enough to carry them out. M'gann and Kaldur were already in danger, and Robin's head wound didn't look good. The others seemed fine, but she couldn't risk them not waking up in time to save themselves. She'd give her life for this team, something that had been reiterated throughout her career as a heroine, and this certainly qualified.

"How do I know I have your word?" she asked, not bothering to look at him as she crawled over to Miss Martian's limp form, pulling the older girl away from the lapping flames. "If I only have ten minutes, how do I know they'll be safe?"

An unseen grin spread across his features. "Jade," he called into the rafters.

Funny how, after all they'd been through, Jade would betray her so easily. Her sister had tried many times to kill her without any real intention to deliver the final blow, and now she was trying to cut off her last shred of joy in life...

"Artemis?"

Roy. Roy's voice came from above, her name shaky upon his lips. "Artemis, what's going on?" He knew her situation, yet it seemed so surreal, the fire, the crumpled bodies, the family reunion...

She understood; Artemis pulled M'gann closer to Conner and then looked to Kid Flash and Robin. Kaldur, Rocket, and Zatanna laid limp nearby, silent and fragile. They were worth more to her than her own life. Every single one of them. Even Roy. "Red," she called up to her fellow archer, putting her dropped arrow back in the quiver and retrieving her bow, "I need you down here. Get them out, try and wake Baywatch, he and Superboy look like they're in the best shape." She collapsed her bow before stepping back and looking into the shadowy rafters. Her blue-grey eyes finding Harper, she tossed her bow, knowing he'd catch it and take care of business from there. Artemis placed her quiver on the ground and backed away towards her father. "Take care of them, Red."

This wasn't surrender, he realized. This was sacrifice. The redhead wasted no time and carefully but quickly dropped to the floor from a little over two stories up. "I've got it, blondie," he said, grabbing her quiver. It wasn't his equipment, but Jade had given him a call and said there was a lead on Speedy: she'd lied. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

She forced a smile, watching as he went to work, throwing Megan over one shoulder while pulling Kaldur by the arm. Cruel, sure, but they'd thank him later. Artemis backed herself into her father's arms and felt the side of a blade pressed against her back, the silent warning.

Roy dragged team members out the front door; the Crock family escaped through the back. Yet as Artemis backed out of the building through a maze of burning crates and lumber, she did see Wally West sit up as Roy came to retrieve him. And she saw his lips move, asking, "Where's Artemis?" She couldn't read Roy's response.

The girl felt tears burn her eyes, making the world blurry as Wally picked up Robin to carry him to safety, his fellow ginger already getting ahold of Zatanna and Rocket, pulling one thin girl over each shoulder before bolting for the door to try and beat the bomb. Artemis exited and was scarcely twenty feet from the building when an explosion went off inside. Only Conner was left inside, she knew, but being Kryptonian meant he'd probably be alright. The only question became whether Roy or Wally had been in there trying to grab him when the next round of flames engulfed the inner area.

"Come on, sis," said Jade, voice soft and subdued. "Let's go home."

Artemis heard her voice and knew she was thinking the same thing. If Roy was in there... The archer didn't want to think about how broken Jade would be if she lost him.

Artemis wasn't the only daughter Sportsmaster was hurting. They were both in the line of fire.

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><p><strong>AN: Review?**

**~Sky**


	9. I'm Right Here

**A/N: Set after "Depths". Spoilers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

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><p><strong><span>I'm Right Here<span>**

The submarine had surfaced only due to an attack that caused severe flooding from what could be considered the roof of the vessel. Manta's men had tracked an incoming torpedo, but no one manned the arsenal fast enough to prevent the blow.

As soon as the vessel had surfaced, they were boarded. The announcement sang out over the intercom: "Two unknown lifeforms boarding ship. Entering topside. Terminate danger at all costs."

Artemis merely poked her head out the door and pulled on her boots, even shrugging on her winter jacket before heading out to see what threat this would be. The woman was always intrigued by the way Black Manta's men fought; besides, she was bringing back intel for Nightwing, wasn't she?

Wandering the halls, slightly flooded from the initial blow, she listened for the sounds of battle, over the sloshing of water and gentle hum of machines. A few bodies floated past her, armor pierced by spears or sliced open in short clean jabs. She looked away, disgusted with killing. Hey, it was the reason she was a heroine, right?

Loud as thunder, Artemis heard gunshots ring out behind her, back towards Kaldur's quarters. No way would she ever lose her only ally. She couldn't risk it. He was her cover and her only friend. She needed him more than anything else at this point.

She splashed through the flooded halls towards where she heard the echo carry through the enclosed metal space. Artemis rounded a corner only to feel a bullet whiz past her face, the mere proximity of it sending her heart into a panicked flutter. Where was Kaldur? Was he still alive?

A rough hand grabbed her ponytail and tugged her around the corner; the sudden jerk sent her off balance and the woman fell into the water, fighting for breathe until the same hand tugged her up by her ponytail in an all too familiar way. A voice ground out, "Get up." The tone was fierce and seething hatred. "Get up, mutt. You're coming with me."

_Daddy, what are you doing?_

He tugged her through the hall, letting her fall into the water with an occasional shove, even offering a gun to anyone else who they came across. Two men were even shot when they didn't stand down. Two more floating bodies. She tried not to wince in disgust and sorrow. Sure, they were bad guys too, but why waste the lives so carelessly? What if they had wives? Families? Daughters?

Of course, he didn't care. He had never cared.

_Daddy, what's going on?_

Finally, she was shoved into a room and held there by another familiar hidden behind a broad, sickening smile. Black hair was matted and tangled, uniform ripped in a few too many places. A gun was held in her hand, misplaced in such a grip. "Is she the last one?" asked that same husky, seductive voice that Artemis had grown up with.

"The last one I care to search for," he growled out. "If anyone else bothers to come in, you know what to do."

And she pulled the safety on the gun before pointing it at the array of faces they'd pulled into the room, most cuffed to nailed down furniture or maimed to be still.

The array of faces around the room was a mix of captains, cavalry, and even Black Manta himself stood there, chained to the wall like a prisoner in a medieval dungeon. Artemis was left alone only because there was nowhere for her to run, and there was no way she could beat a bullet.

_Daddy, why are you doing this?_

"Where is Kaldur'ahm?" snarled the masked man. "Where's the monster that murdered my baby girl?"

_Oh, Daddy..._

When no one responded, the lithe woman pulled the trigger, putting a bullet in an officer's leg.

"Where is she?" he asked again in a feral growl as his eldest clicked the weapon's safety again and aimed at one of the captains next, her mask's grin looking all the more sadistic.

Her heart thundered in her chest, breath coming out in little gasps as if they were on the last of the submarine's air supply. Artemis fingered her charm, wishing to rip it off, wishing to speak the truth, wishing that she could go hug him and promise him that she was alright, that she was alive, that everything would be fine. Yet she remained silent and watched as a bullet was put in the captain's shoulder, blood dribbling down his metal uniform in scarlet beads.

"WHERE'S KALDUR'AHM?" he asked again, this time escalating to a howl for the simple question.

_Daddy, please, no!_

Another bullet was put in another officer. And another.

_Daddy, stop!_

She pulled the safety and pointed the muzzle at a chef. A simple chef. Then the blast rang out as he was painted crimson.

_Daddy, I'm right here!_

"WHERE IS HE?"

_Daddy, Daddy, don't!_

"HE MURDERED MY BABY GIRL! TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

_Daddy, I'm here, I'm right here!_

Another was killed and the barrel of the gun was pointed at Black Manta himself; his helmet was removed and a gash was located above his brow, bleeding heavily.

"Tell me where your son is and we'll spare your life," the masked man said, glare unrelenting. If looks could kill, Black Manta would have been dead within seconds, sliced open, innards torn out, eyes slashed, and body fed to the fishes.

Surprisingly, the man's response was cool and honest. "He was sent on a confidential solo mission this morning to the Gulf of Mexico, just outside of a small town called Magnolia Springs. You can find him there for the next thirty-two hours. He was sent to kill a little... _problem _I keep having."

Not even Artemis had been aware of this. She hadn't seen him since this morning... And Black Manta was a brilliant liar and was perfectly capable of coming up with details like those, but she could tell by his soft smile that this was truth and that he had just sold out his son for his own life.

_Daddy..._

The woman held the gun at her side and clicked off the safety. She dropped it in the water and retreated to the door, not even looking to her father before leaving to head back to their own ship.

His sneer was hidden behind the mask, but the snort of disgust was enough to show how little the intruder cared. Without another word, the man clenched his fists and disappeared from the room, following his eldest topside. He didn't even look back at the bodies. He didn't look back to his disguised daughter.

_Daddy... thank you..._

He had come to avenger her, to murder her murderer.

Kaldur's father had just sold him out without a second thought.

Artemis stared after them, not in anger for their killings, but in anguish because of the lie she was living. Her father and her sister, working together to extract revenge for her death.

_I love you too._

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><p><strong>AN: Review? Thanks for reading!**

**~Sky**


	10. Weak

**A/N: So this is the official ending. Still, there are going to be more sporadic updates after this if I feel something strongly enough that I need to write it and put it in here rather than as a separate one-shot, but as the tenth chapter, this is the official finale of "Daughter to Father".**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

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><p><strong><span>Weak<span>**

She fell to the floor, head crashing against the concrete with a resonating _thud!_ The pain instantly bloomed in her skull, a dull throbbing striking up some chords. Artemis let out a groan and sat up slowly, making sure she wasn't bleeding by putting one hand to the spot where she'd struck.

"You're so useless," spat her father darkly, throwing his spear to the side and turning his disgusted gaze away from his daughter. "Jade was so much better than you could even _hope_ to be." His words were lined with pure malice.

The girl made sure she wasn't wounded. There was a long cut across her upper thigh, and a big gash had ripped open the chest of her shirt, but she didn't mind either of those in the moment. She was more concerned by the head trauma; there was every chance that her brain could be swelling, causing permanent damage, other such injuries. Yet all she was getting was a verbal lashing.

"Do you understand how _weak_ you are, Artemis? Little Miss Crock, you are nothing to anyone. You're a petty little school girl, and even then, you aren't smart. You're stupid, Artemis. Do you realize that? How pitiful you are?" He peeled off his mask, dropping it beside the disposed spear. "It's sad that you think you'll be worth anything."

She felt sick but pushed it down the best she could. Every ounce of her body ached with this hatred. Hey, she'd been taking these beatings forever. The physical endurance was nothing compared to the full, mental abuse she took on a day-to-day basis. Artemis grabbed for her bow, fingers finding the familiar metal as she tried to bring herself back to reality.

"Worthless," he said, evil in his eyes. "You're just worthless. I've wasted all my time on you only for you to go and dream up these little thoughts about a normal life. School isn't important. Friends aren't important. This life is important. You need to train, and even then, you'll never be perfect."

She never expected to be perfect. She wanted to be good enough. She just wanted to make him _proud_.

"I should've gotten rid of you a long time ago." He paced now, heading towards his stash of tools, his store of knives, his cache of guns. "I had every opportunity to chase after your sister and get back the real fighter in the family. Not like you'll do me any good. I should've gone after Jade." He said it like an afterthought, voice distant as if he were talking to himself.

He continued: "You've been a waste of my money, too. I feed you. I clothe you. I shelter you. In return, you give me so little effort, even less focus, and let yourself fall victim to these little fantasies. What's wrong with you, Artemis? You were never worth a dime, but you've fallen even more. The next step is death, honestly, and I doubt the Devil would even want you. You'd disgust even him, _you stupid mutt_."

Artemis felt sick, weak, tired, alone. Once upon a time, Jade stood up for her in these beat downs. Jade would take the brunt of it, even lashing back every once in a while only to be put in her place: physically. Artemis had learned that talking back was never a good idea. So she took it. The girl put all of her energy into helping herself get through this moment. She'd survived plenty of times before without Jade, but it didn't make it any less painful.

This was why she could hardly look at herself in a mirror. She would brush her hair without reflective assistance, risking a bad hair day over the self-mutilating thought. Artemis forced herself to do schoolwork even though she could barely scrape up an average in her classes. Every moment in his presence made her feel small, insignificant, empty. She didn't mean anything to him. Why should she mean anything to herself? He was the only person of any value in her life. What did she have if not a father?

"Well, I guess you can leave now," he sighed, words still tainted with spite. "Run away, even. You don't belong here. You're just a stupid animal." He pulled one of his guns off the rack and clicked open the chamber, checking for bullets. "Worthless."

Willpower. She pushed herself to her feet. Determination. She held her bow firm in her hand. Strength. She stood her ground. "I _will_ be better than Jade."

He laughed, cold, loud, daunting. "Really, Artemis. You shouldn't lie to yourself. You're probably the most pitiful creature I've ever seen. You can hardly stand on your own." He clicked the safety of the weapon. "You're nothing on your own."

"I can _survive_. I may not be the best, but I'm worth more than you've ever given me credit for." Her eyes flared with rage. "I've lived with you long enough, haven't I? Jade left because she couldn't handle it. I've managed. She's weak."

"She had the strength to leave."

It was another shattering blow, but she was barely knocked back a step before pushing forward again, pulling against the restraints that held her down. "I can do this. _This_ is what I do, Dad. I take your shit, I put up with everything. I go to the edge and back. I'm _not _worthless. I deserve some respe-"

"You don't deserve anything." And he clicked the safety a second time. "You don't deserve my love, you don't deserve my attention, and you certainly don't deserve any further training. You're pathetic. You're puny. You're useless. What more do I have to say to beat you down? When will you just give up on living, Artemis? You aren't worth the air that you breathe."

She was breaking, and it took every ounce of hatred to push her forward. She'd cut herself enough. She'd heard his words enough. She was done. She was ready to walk away. And yet, she couldn't. She had nowhere to go. She had nothing to her name. She really was worthless. The only thing Artemis carried with her were the skills engraved in her skin and bones since she could walk. Those were worthless in the real world. So she stayed where she stood, a stoic statue.

"See?" he asked with a knowing smile, finally turning back to face his daughter. "You know it. You understand how insignificant you are now. It just takes a few more words to beat you down." He grinned and looked to the ground for a heartbeat. "Your sister was strong enough to leave before this. You're too helpless to leave."

A fist clenched, but she didn't speak out. Her eyes turned to the floor, dim with grief and self-loathing. She had stayed because he was her father; she stayed because she was loyal to him and only him. Even at the opportunity of escape, she'd lingered, knowing that he would truly be alone if she were to go.

Now, she was ready to leave. She had nowhere to go. She was lost in the world. Artemis was helpless on her own.

She would remain in this wretched life.

He saw the surrender in her body language: the way her head hung, the way her shoulders sagged, the way her grip loosened. Lawrence Crock smiled to himself before uttering a single word. "_Pitiful_."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading. Please review?**

**~Sky**


	11. It Could Always Be Worse

**A/N: I didn't want to extend this out so long, but hey, if I have an idea, I have an idea. So here's another chapter of my favorite Artemis fic that I've written to date.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any associated characters.**

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><p><strong>It Could Always Be Worse<strong>

It wasn't what someone wanted to hear. It was the equivalent of "Good enough" when you realize you could be so much better and yet you aren't, you're worthless, you're angry-

Artemis knew this. Still, she coped.

She lived with being "good enough". She got the job done, went home, and tried to sleep it off and forget the whole thing happened. Artemis laid there at night and hoped for God's sake that she could pay off these sins.

That night, she laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling and reveling in the fact that it could always be worse.

Her hair spilled out around her, still dripping wet and soaking pillow and mattress alike; some loose strands of gold billowed off the bed even. Her young face, merely fourteen, was laden with exhaustion and age, wisdom far beyond her years, and not the good kind. And those tired eyes fell shut as she mentally muttered to herself that it could always be worse.

And actually, it was better now. The days were getting better. Her class had gotten pet frogs, which made her smile more often as she watched them swim around their little tank. Nights weren't as bad either: her father no longer hit her for her mistakes or kicked her while she was down. The worst of the bruises were going away. It was getting better.

So yeah, it could always be worse. She wore a faux smile as the night swept around her, warm like the upcoming summer.

Summer brought dread, the thought of spending every second in his company. He'd always be hanging around, she'd be training all day. He'd come home caked with another man's blood, she's be cleaning it up. He'd be there screaming and shouting, she'd try not to take it personally.

It still hurt nonetheless. All of the screaming after years and years finally added up to something. Artemis had come to hate herself. She was only "good enough" and even after putting thousands of hours of effort in, she wasn't getting much better. And she wasn't dumb either, she was passing in school pretty well, but nowhere near top of the class and nothing stuck longer than it took to pass the test.

That summer breeze danced into the room and found her eyes stinging with tears. Her lips were pursed.

Good enough was all she'd ever be. She could get a job done and go home and get no praise and minimal criticism and no one would care much beyond that because the job was done and no one had to care as long as someone else was dead and the problem was taken care of, so what would it matter if someone simply said "Good job" without the taste of sarcasm on their tongue or the twang of anger in their voice? Artemis was good enough. Her shots were close enough. Her grades were good enough. Her life was good enough.

Good enough. She wanted more.

Artemis didn't dream of a picket fence and a golden retriever. Artemis dreamed of a nicer apartment with painted walls and a working tv. She dreamed of a dish washer that actually worked and a clean sink. She dreamed of a nice big bedroom with airy windows, lots of light, and a big enough bed for a pitbull to lay at the bottom with her. She dreamed of mismatched furniture that still looked alright. And that was all she wanted. And her only one true request: to feel good again.

Her future, as she wanted it to be, came with no strings attached. As far as she was concerned, she could work two jobs to make rent and get food and maybe have a nice roommate and be perfectly content on her own with just a dog as her true company. She didn't dream of men- she dreamt of living a life away from her father, on her own, with the freedom and independence to do whatever the hell she wanted whenever the hell she wanted.

Artemis had dreams, just like any other girl in the world.

But right in this moment, she was scraping through the days with whatever food the emergency supply money could buy and trying not to burn her meals too badly. She ate everything she could to keep her strength up, even the nastiest burnt stuff at the bottom of the pan. Last week she was sick, and this week she wanted to make up for last week.

Her dad hadn't been around for about a month and it was getting pretty bad. The neighbors had been at her on where he was and when he was getting back and what has happened to her mother and why wasn't anyone staying with her. The usual responses: business trip, soon, grandmother's sick, and because she was fine on her own.

And now the days were just going by slowly and painfully. She ate the burned scraps of food, hoped for her dad to show up with whatever paycheck Ra's would give him, and maybe take her bow out to the park the next day to get some fresh meat. Everything was a slow-motion blur. Hunger pangs during the day, sickly taste in her mouth at night, and just the emptiness of the house whenever she tried to sleep at night.

"It could always be worse," she whispered to herself as tears stained her cheeks. "It could always be worse."

Because she had enough food for another week maybe and it wasn't like she needed clothing or water. And the bills could wait, maybe, hopefully. Because she wasn't on the streets where she would have no money, no food, and no shelter. On the street, there would be no warm bed, no television at all, and no radio. She would have dirty clothes and worn out shoes and her hair would be a complete mess.

It could always be worse.

She got by. She had it good enough. She managed. Artemis was a trooper if nothing else, a good little soldier. She obeyed and was taken care of decently as payment. Food, water, shelter, and wasn't that all anyone ever needed?

And still she dreamed: an apartment of mismatched furniture, a good tv, a big bed with a pitbull, and freedom. In her dreams, freedom tasted like fresh air rolling off of hillsides with flowers and shrubs and lavender, the best things in the world, freedom, freedom!-

And yet she woke up to Gotham's smoky, polluted air, into a crummy apartment with hideously mismatched furniture and broken lamps and a broken tv and only a haunting Cheshire cat as her companion.

Because it could always be better, too.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm extending this by four more chapters beyond this one. Leave a review, let me know what you think, and I'll update soon. Thanks for reading.**

**~Sky**


	12. Bandages

**A/N: A shorter installment. But right to the point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any associated characters.**

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><p><strong><span>Bandages<span>**

She walked in, caked in blood, her face bruised to beat all hell. Artemis set her bow down on the kitchen table, removed her mask, and moved mechanically to the bathroom to get the First Aid kit.

Her father stumbled on through the doorway a minute or two after his blonde kin and laid down his mask and assortment of hunting knives. The victory cigar between his lips was still dropping white-hot ash; booze laid on his breath.

Artemis returned, face beneath the guise of darkness and shadows. She put down the First Aid kit on the table beside her bow, popped it open, and pushed it to her father in an asking sort of manner. Then, she pulled up her own chair, sat down with her back towards him, and waited for him to begin.

Lawrence Crock leaned back in his chair and sighed. He looked at his little girl's arms, black and blue with bruises. Dried blood coated her skin thinly; her hair was matted with it on the ends, turning yellow to brown. He finished off his cigar and surrendered his adrenaline rush to the natural order of the world. Lawrence leaned in to get a better look. "Let's see how bad it is, baby."

She rolled up her sleeves and pant legs as far as they would go. The aches and pains of just moving were settling in. A shiver ran through her spine- it was going to be a long night.

"Alright, come here, baby girl."

Artemis drew in nearer as her father pulled out the antibiotics.

Maybe it didn't affect him as a father. Artemis knew she hadn't been hurt on her actual mission: she'd been trained too well. None of these injuries had come from fighting off the group of crooks that threatened to take some water from the depths of Ra's Al Ghul's precious Lazarus Pit.

She'd dropped three men with arrows, regret passing through her eyes and heart but never revealing itself to the tangible world. Two more had come in for hand-to-hand combat, realizing long range was her strength. But she snapped one's neck (all she had ever known was kill or be killed) and the other was given a good enough beating to break an ankle, fracture a rib, dislocate a shoulder, and puncture an organ or two. Again, she hated this life, but it was as she was trained.

The last- presumably the ringmaster of the plot- had learned his lesson and ran. But a few commands from her father, all bearing curses and derogatory names, made her draw her bow once more and spearhead both of his legs.

No, none of them had hurt her.

These bruises came from the morning's training session. As her father rubbed antibiotics on certain cuts, she could recall exactly which moves he had nicked her with. Others, the deeper, wider wounds, she remembered how he'd pulled out an elephant knife and was teaching her about the threats posed by different blades; he didn't bother to be careful.

The afternoon had been hand-to-hand combat, no weapons. Martial arts, the advanced stuff, was being taught. She took plenty of blows, most to the arms and face, a few to her underdeveloped chest. With one eye now swollen shut, she wished she'd told him to stop or to at least be more careful. She'd have to wear jeans and long sleeves to school all week now; one teacher had commented on a scar and asked if she kept any razors at school. (Said teacher also never let her borrow the classroom scissors since the incident.)

Did her father bear any remorse for what he did to her? Was he even aware? The mask he wore was painted on so thickly that she couldn't see where the line between father and murderer started and ended.

Still, he tended to his daughter as a father would. Artemis was at least grateful for that.

"Roll up your shirt, lemme see your back."

She did as instructed and felt the burning pain as the antibiotic was smeared all across the wounds from the elephant knife. A hiss escaped her lips despite how hard she tried to bite it back.

"No pain, no gain, little girl."

And then he began pulling out the bandages; after all, he couldn't have her bleeding all over her clothes.

Artemis couldn't fathom how they could do this day in and day out. She would have injuries and cuts and scrapes and he would tend to them, either ignoring or dismissing the fact that he had caused them. Yet she couldn't help but feel he was aware somehow because every night they went through the same thing.

"Daddy loves you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't. Yet he atoned for his sins by trying to right the wrong, putting bandages on his baby girl every night.

"Daddy loves you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave a review. Thank you for reading.**

**~Sky**


	13. What is Love?

**A/N: I've had this one in mind for a while, keeping it in mind became the trouble.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or any associated characters.**

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><p><span><strong>What is Love?<strong>

She'd cried through almost the entire funeral, holding onto Wally the entire time, her body quivering and that motion translating into him. He could only reach over and try to hold her together as if she was going to fall apart, a shattered little girl held together by glue and duct tape.

He managed to get her inside their small home and onto the well-worn couch, and Brucely tried to stick his wet nose into the crooks of her crossed arms to no avail. She was too tightly wound, too stuck in her rut of despair.

"Artemis," murmured Wally, brushing messy blonde hair from her blue-grey eyes that remained red, swollen, and puffy from the day's seemingly endless tears. "Babe." He has no words to say, can't hardly fathom what she's going through. He can barely imagine her pain, although somehow he can't understand why she's so hurt.

From everything he'd heard of her childhood, that man only made her suffer. He didn't know why she loved him, why she worshipped him, why she never brought herself to hate him after all of the miseries he put onto her. Wally didn't get it. Artemis loved him through the pain, still loves him. She was loyal, he knew that, he learned that in the first few days they knew each other, but loyal to someone so terrible...

"Thanks," uttered Artemis, leaning into her boyfriend, her face burying itself in his shoulder for whatever ounce of comfort she could get out of it. "For everything. I know that was..." She actually laughed, and one hand reached up to wipe the tear trails from her pink-hued face. "That was probably hell on you, now that I think about it. I know there were at least fifteen criminals within a ten foot range of you at almost any given second."

Wally did cringe. He did now, and he did then about a thousand times earlier when he realized he was getting far too close to someone he should really be punching in the gut or kicking in the face. But he fought it off and stayed honorably by his girlfriend's side and held her upright and kept her together. He stayed loyal and kept to her, knowing that Artemis was his priority.

"Sorry you had to go through that," she said softly, apologetic eyes already on him, still brimming with burning tears. "I don't mean to put you through crap like that, I forget that they're not like us. I just know that they're family to me."

He already had one arm across her shoulders, and he used his other hand to grasp hers. "It's fine, Artemis. You know I'd do anything for you." His charming smile and promising eyes offered hope and love to his precious girl. "I'll be with you no matter what, even when it's hard like this."

She leaned into him, her head suddenly finding a perfect spot to rest on his shoulder. The girl couldn't help herself, he was warm and comfortable and all she really needed was a good hug and some sleep and she'd cry less in the morning. "Thanks, Wally," she mumbled, already settled in for a nap after the long day.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally dragged up the courage from the pit of his stomach to say: "Can I ask you something?"

Artemis was really not in the mood for questions, but after the day she'd put him through, a day of constant comforting and wiping away tears, she owed him a little bit even through her suffering. The archer girl leaned away and brought her gaze to meet his. "You just did, but I'll give you another chance."

He almost stuck his tongue out at her, so tempted to resume his usual witty banter, but he felt like the mood was wrong, especially with what laid heavy on his mind. "Why do you still love him?" he asked.

As if she'd been stuck in an icy cave for months on end, she froze up, eyes going cold and empty. "He's my dad, Wally. You of all people get that."

Wally's face stiffened with anger although he did not raise his voice. "Artemis, I've heard stories from you, even a couple from Jade for what little I ever see her, and... if you think you put me through hell today, it sounds like he dragged you through hell for fifteen years." His hand tightened around hers as he tried to keep her close to him because he knew she'd get upset. "I just don't understand why you still love your dad."

She swallowed hard and looked at their clasped hands. This was what love felt like, tender touching, light hearts, sincere smiles, hopeful smiles, adoring hugs. Wally was the first one to ever show her this side of life, that the world could be this way. Her mom taught her a little bit when she was very young, but even then there was screaming and yelling and fighting and blood and pain- Artemis just got used to blocking out the bad parts and remembering the moments when he hoisted her up and told her that she was "Daddy's Little Princess".

There were bad times too, she remembers plenty of them. He would throw around furniture like chairs and small electronics, break their glasses and plates, or pull hair and clothing from her mother or Jade when he could actually direct his anger at someone. His voice, booming and thunderous and earth-shattering, still echoed in her head from all the times he would scream at them for doing something wrong, whether it be in training or around the house. She had felt the verbal abuse like a wall of bricks coming at her, pushing her down and falling around her, crushing her, suffocating her, making her feel helpless and doomed, blocking out every ounce of hope and sunlight. When she felt like this, Artemis usually hid in a closet, and she still tried to get away and curl up in a corner when Wally got angry with her, which was hardly ever, but she knew that her boyfriend had noticed these tendencies, which was probably why he was pushing right now.

"He's my dad," she defended softly, voice timid as all these memories, primarily the bad ones, resurfaced to the front of her mind. She inwardly cringed, but she also felt her body reel away from Wally's; why, she had no answer, but she wasn't used to human contact when she felt confronted or uncomfortable. Having a constant presence, one that she didn't have to fear, was still a new feeling. "He did a lot of stuff, both good and bad, but he's my dad. He raised me."

His lower lip was almost quivering. How badly he wanted to hold her and tell her she would never have to suffer through that again...but she was pulling away and drawing back... Wally had assumed it many times before, but now he felt convinced that Sportsmaster had done more than just the verbal and mental abuse that Artemis had expressed. "Artemis-"

"If he didn't raise me-" The archer pulled away from her boyfriend further, her voice rising. "-then I never would've been strong enough to be on the team. And I never would've met you." She was nearly shaking with frustration. "If my dad wasn't who he was, I wouldn't have a good boyfriend and a decent house and a nice dog! He raised me and I became who I am today!" Her eyes were now glaring at him, burning with fury. "You should've thanked him for what he did to me, Wally! You wouldn't have me right now if he didn't treat me the way he did!"

"Artemis."

Wally's soft voice brought her back down from the adrenaline high driven by anger. Artemis felt her chest cave as she realized she was doing what he used to do whenever he was confronted by someone he wasn't supposed to hit. Still, that didn't always mean he wouldn't. But she'd pulled into the only stance she knew how to take when she couldn't strike out to protect herself: yelling. The girl curled into herself, pulling her legs tighter to her body, every muscle going stiff; her eyes were on their still joined hands, focusing on the way their fingers interlocked.

And she remembered he would never let go.

"Babe, I get it," he began quietly. "I know you love him, I know I should be grateful for him giving me you, and I know I probably should've respected him more than I did. But I worry about everything that he did to you." Wally slowly tried to put his arm around her again. "I just want to make sure you're okay, Artemis. Today wasn't easy on you either."

He'd died over a week ago. She'd been in mourning for a week, and she'd probably be miserable for a few months beyond this, but Artemis was doing much better now than she'd been in the past seven days. And sadly, thinking it out and talking it out with Wally made her feel better. In her mind, it shouldn't've made her feel better.

"I'm upset," she muttered slowly, "but I'll be alright eventually. It's just going to... I need time."

"Of course," he said with a curt nod and an understanding face. "I get that."

And a lull came over them like a wave, and both hushed. She rested her head on his arm that wrapped around her shoulders. Artemis felt his warm, calloused fingers playing with the strands of blonde that had escaped her ponytail.

Hesitant to ask because he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, Wally mustered up his voice. "Did he ever hurt you, Artemis?" He didn't want to imagine her body painted in black and blue from the hands of someone she loved. He'd seen her beat up plenty of times, but he didn't want to see it in such painful light. "Like..." He couldn't even bring himself to say it.

But Artemis could say it. "Physically?" she affirmed with his subtle, tentative nod. She ran through her Rolodex of both good and bad memories, and after a bit, the girl paused and squeezed his hand; her eyes would not meet his. "No." The girl smiled to herself sadly. "He never hurt me." She swallowed hard and tried to just breathe for a moment. All she wanted to do was fold herself into Wally's loving arms. "But it felt like he did. It felt like every day was a punishment just because I existed. But he never hurt me."

Now, he did pull her into his arms and tucked her face into his chest and kissed her crown of golden hair and whispered hundreds of times over again how much he loved her and how he'd never let her go.

She'd broken down again, her tears soaking the white shirt beneath his dark suit. Her fists balled up in his shirt. "And he was still my dad..."

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><p><strong>AN: Do you know how short this was supposed to be? It was supposed to cover the scope of these last five paragraphs and have some sort of big reflective montage and instead it leaned more Spitfire, but I feel like the juxtaposition justifies the switch from my original plan for this one. Anyways, please leave a review. Thanks for reading.**

**~Sky**


	14. Mercy

**A/N: I really love writing this fic. Probably more than writing anything else. I've already got the "final chapter" of this extension written, saved, placed, edited. I'll probably keep writing more after this, but I'm just pretending like I'm ending it so I can try to focus on other things when I know I'll just keep coming back to my darling muse, the lovely Artemis...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or anything associated.**

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><p><strong><em><span>Mercy<span>_**

Her eyes took in the scene, unable to look away, a carnal instinct to watch chaos unfold. Like watching a car crash.

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><p>It was supposed to be easy: recon. But God, isn't how they all start out?<p>

A quick trip to the building, Robin scaling down the side to get into that vault room and see what all's inside, a quick peek, nothing more. Everyone else covering for him, whether it be inside or outside. Getting on the rooftop was easy with the bioship being nearly undetectable. They just didn't figure on Lex Luthor's systems being so advanced. No one did.

Cameras had caught their every move, detecting even Kid Flash at his top speeds when they all tried to get out of sight. No luck. The troops had rallied, even cutting Robin's wire; they were lucky he was already safely on the vault floor- now it just became a matter of how well he could handle guards and security and any other threats on his own. Everyone just prayed, Artemis figured. A lot of prayers.

Guards stormed out of the stairway door, pouring onto the rooftop in dozens and dozens. Conner's first course of action was to start tossing them into the next building over.

Recon was over at that point. Full-blown mission had exploded onto the scene as arrows and water weapons were unleashed upon the guns and tasers that the armed guards had hauled upstairs with them. Bullets blasted aloud, the sound ricocheting through the night. Adrenaline ran high when it was just starting up, and Artemis figured it'd all be over in a few minutes. Easy enough. Just had to survive a few minutes, had to get Robin back up somehow, needed to get Meg back down here with the bioship, if she hadn't already been shot down, that was.

Kaldur had dropped at least a half a dozen guards while Conner was still chucking them onto the adjacent rooftop and figuring maybe they'd live; no one else said anything because the gunfire was so loud and vicious, no one else cared much. Wally had already taken a couple of scrapes from falling and had been skimmed with a bullet, nothing bad. Whether these men lived or not was not the team's biggest concern. Their own lives were much more important in that moment, especially with Robin on the line a few floors below.

There were bigger things to handle.

The bowstring kept pulling taut and releasing, arrows finding their marks, pinning men to walls or knocking them down with intense concussive force. Artemis kept firing off arrows, fast, like gunfire. The sound of the thrumming string as she kept aiming and letting loose was music for her and the sound of a death march for others.

This was supposed to be so much easier. Quick. In and out. Ended.

But the rooftop door flung open again, the sound of the hinges' metallic clang was like a bomb to the ears of heroes: it meant reinforcements, and those could be more dangerous than any nuke to them. And when she saw, in the heartbeat that she lifted her head to assess the new threat, the three pour out from the metal doorframe, she just ducked down and prayed some more.

Cheshire was there, sais out and willing to kill, still-fresh poison dripping from the tips. That mask's deliciously evil grin was all the more menacing in the moonlight as she moved, wind through her outfit, her hair like the mane of a wildcat. Danger.

Mercy.

Sportsmaster had a machete out and a few discus explosives tucked away in his belt. The massive blade, bigger and wider than Artemis's own forearm, was more important right now as he stood at the ready, eager to take someone's head off. A malicious gleam could be seen through the eyeholes of his mask.

Mercy.

"Oh God." Artemis could feel her body throbbing now, the panic rising as the gunmen just kept firing, and the bullets kept burrowing their metal heads into the thick piping she was hiding behind. She barely glanced at Kid Flash, who laid exhausted beside her. "Oh God."

"Superboy and Aqualad know to be careful." Wally's voice was reassuring but only vaguely, as he sounded so scared himself- bullets had that effect on those who could be wounded by them, killed by them. "And with their record, I think you're in the clear."

There was a cry of pain and then the row of heavy piping behind them rattled with a huge blast. Kid Flash's gaze was alive with horror, and he glanced quickly enough to catch a glimpse of Aqualad's crumpled body on the other side. His grimace when he turned back said it all.

"Oh God," she repeated, her voice only growing lower, smaller. "Oh God."

Mercy.

Conner's primal howling was only growing louder as the gunfire grew to a deafening din, the force of the clicking and clattering machines making the whole air and atmosphere reverberate with the shockwaves, and soon enough, he was silent.

"You need to go out there," Wally whispered fiercely, his words like the cry of an alarm. "You're a secret weapon in this situation. They won't hurt you. They _can't_." His hand, she suddenly realized, was on her upper arm, squeezing her tightly, painfully. "_Go._"

She understood his words, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. The grip on her arm melted away, and the feeling of loneliness sunk into her skin. The whole world seemed to be spinning, oh God...

Mercy.

And Artemis stepped out of her spot, shadows eclipsing her face until she was visible, the girl with the golden hair, bathed in moonlight.

The guns all turned on her, red dots speckling her uniform, turning almost her whole form crimson, as if she had been washed in blood. Trigger happy guards were ready to kill a little girl with a bow.

"Don't shoot!"

Mercy.

His command saved her life. Sportsmaster had let his arm fall to his side, machete surrendered. They hadn't met like this for almost a year now...

The guards did not stand down. As much as Sportsmaster was their master, he was an enforcer; their higher power was a god. Lex Luthor had strict policies on killing intruders, especially when he couldn't be tied back to the murders...

"Weapons down." Sportsmaster's voice was now more firm, a force. "They aren't a threat up here. The real danger is downstairs. There's a Robin below." Cheshire had stepped up to his side. "We've got it covered up here."

Most dropped their weapons, red lights evaporating from her body as fingers left triggers, guns fell from the ready.

Mercy.

One still remained, right on her forehead, the one she knew wouldn't miss, that the bullet, missile, whatever would be sent, would hit her no matter what. Artemis stood still with a brave, solid face, staring down death.

"Put it down," ordered Sportsmaster, showing his hand. He had a weakness, and now it could be exploited.

Mercy.

"Your master isn't here right now. You take orders from me. And you won't hurt her." His voice was hard as steel, eyes even colder. Sportsmaster stood behind that mask, ready to throw himself entirely at an unstoppable force.

And the red light was gone as Mercy turned her attentions from Artemis to the monster that was preventing her from following programmed orders. Kill the young heroes. Death to the young heroes. No holds barred. Her weaponized arm was pointing at his chest, and her head swiveled in that disgustingly robotic way to face him, infrared eyes scanning with no emotion. "I take orders from my master only."

And then she let loose.

"Daddy!"

Mercy.

Kid Flash gripped her arm, hauled her backwards, pulling her away, but through her burning eyes, she saw his body shaking and shuddering as machine gun bullets tore through his vest, through his skin, through his body, blood spurting out the other side as his arms flailed helplessly. His mask earned new holes and his bloodied face began to show, scarlet streaking down his neck as he kept shivering against the pelting metal, dead within seconds, his limp form now just in the process of excessive mutilation.

And Artemis just felt her hoarse, choking voice crying out- "Daddy! Daddy!" But Wally was pulling her away, to what, she had no idea, she only knew that the blood was blasting out through his back and that bullets were rattling his body. "Daddy!"

"Get her in here!" Conner's calloused fingers hauled her in, and she felt as limp as Lawrence's body. Crumbling, crashing, collapsing. And she was pulled inside, struggling very little because she knew it was already far too late and that she would only be walking them all down death row.

The bioship doors closed, and her last glimpse of her father was of his mangled corpse finally dropping, his blood already drained and seeping out of his wounds, dripping out of bullet holes as one lake of chaos. And Artemis saw Cheshire, without her mask, bending over and grasping at the last of his life, praying in foreign words, tears streaking her face.

And then the doors were shut. And then they were gone.

Mercy.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave a review.**

**~Sky**


	15. Confessions of a Broken Heart

**A/N: This is the "finale" of this fic, I know I've said that before, but Artemis is my favorite character and writing this dynamic is still my favorite so I'll end up writing more. This is the last of the extension and I will mark this as "Complete", but it will still be updated as I see fit. Thanks for reading through it thus far and I appreciate all the feedback you give me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not make any profit off of this piece and do not own Young Justice or any of its affiliations.  
>Note: This chapter is set after the episode "Insecurity". Also, this chapter title is a reference to the song I listen to whenever I write this fic - "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" by Lindsay Lohan.<strong>

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><p><em><strong><span>Confessions of a Broken Heart<span>**_

He tilted her chin up, staring into her eyes, those filled with that broken innocence yet as she had yet to recover from the harsh reality of the world that would keep crashing down on her for days to come, for years. The world would keep moving, evolving, leaving her behind so she'd have to run on slender, shaking legs and pray to catch up from every time she'd fallen down or been left behind.

And Sportsmaster stared down into her eyes, watching as she fought those quivering lips and kept a stolid appearance. He felt his own smirk grow stronger, knowing that today had shattered her all over again and proved that she had plenty of reason to live this lie.

Before today, her reasons had been shaken as she felt accepted, embraced even. One family didn't matter as the other one rose to full power, showing force, love, and friendship. They made that little girl feel empowered and shook her resolve. She'd lifted up, even started studying for school. She'd made friends, become something better. Hell, soon enough she'd be _normal_.

And he'd watched her fall into it, delve into normalcy, crawling out of his rabbit hole.

Today. Today had pulled her back in, gripped with the claws of the Cheshire Cat, dragged by the sound of the White Rabbit's ticking clock as she realized the time of this peace would be over soon enough. Everything would be in the light of day and she would be exposed, her dark secrets spilling out to die, black shadows from her soul. Oh it would all just collapse around her...

He pulled his finger away from her chin and let her peel that mask away, taking away her truth, the sins of her day. That momentary purity was gone now. Back into the real world, back to Gotham, back home. Behind the closed door of her bedroom where he would sit and wait, knowing Paula was unafraid and unaware. He was her silent shadow, waiting in the darkness for his baby girl to come home, waiting to steal away her wonderful memories and replace them with his own poison.

He preyed on her insecurity, this need to feel stronger, to prove herself, to be something bigger than just a Gotham girl. He manipulated it, twisted it, and waited to crush her with it until she crumbled. Now it was his turn to piece her back together into his own mold.

Today was the day.

"How was your day, baby girl?" He watched as she dropped her bow and quiver, her limbs shivering as her body dreaded every second of the moment. He could see it in her movements: her arms shaking, her distressed eyes, the way she dropped her mask on the floor instead of the usual perfect folding it took to keep out the wrinkles. He watched this regularly, keeping an eye on his baby girl, and tonight was the truth of her breaking.

"You know how it was." Her words were harsh, but not malicious. "You were there, remember?" The sarcasm was dripping in.

"I know." He leaned back onto Jade's bed, spine pressed into the sad excuse for a headboard. "Common courtesy. I'm working on my manners."

She snorted in disgust, but less towards him, more about the absurdity of his words. Sometimes she swore he was just unreal. No one could be so cruel, so awful, and so twisted all at once. Half the time, she was trying to convince herself that it was all just some sick joke, that he'd go away some day and never rear his ugly head again; or maybe she was just hoping this evil side of him would go away, that he'd turn into a normal dad.

Down to business. He pulled a knife from his belt, flicking the blade out and watching it catch the glare of the street lamp that only cast shadows across his face. "How'd your so called 'team' handle the betrayal?"

She froze up, heart stopping. Artemis could only hear Kid Flash's words reverberating in her head; it was all she'd been listening to since the moment happened. There was no victory, only his biting tone, his blatant rage at her disloyalty. Oh, if he only knew...

Her father grinned. "Did you tell them?"

"No." And she wouldn't. She couldn't. Swallowing, she could feel her throat swelling up, and she knew tears would follow if she wasn't careful. She monitored her emotions.

"Good." He tossed the blade in the air, loving the weight as it fell back into his palm perfectly. Power at the tips of his fingers, the power to bleed, the power to kill. "Because we wouldn't want them to know about our little secret, would we?" The blade caught the light, and he tilted it to make that sliver of shine splatter the wall, but she already knew his weapon was out.

"They don't know." She faced her own bed, putting away her equipment; the mask still laid on the floor, a messy fabric of her identity. "They trust me."

"As they should. They don't know anything- only Artemis." His eyes searched his daughter's posture. He would only accept the truth. "Correct?"

"Yes."

His smirk could only widen. Confidence was his weapon here, and he flaunted it, along with his knife.

"But I want to tell them." Her words were small, her voice even less. "I don't want to do this anymore."

And the blade left his hand, the silver flashing across the wall, across her back, and it embedded itself in the wall above her bed, caught in a ray of light. It'd missed her head by mere inches, and Sportsmaster never missed. His grey, steely eyes had watched her form flinch at the sound and watched her shoulders fall forward a little more; he'd broken off another little chunk of her. "You don't have a say in it, baby girl."

She was about ready to cry. She had a family now, friends too. Her mother was home, she felt safe coming home to her mother. She loved her friends, the way they made her laugh and treated her right. The only names they ever called her were light teasing, and they thought she was a wonderful person. They knew a persona, not the girl behind it. And tonight, the girl behind it was cracking because today, she'd seen the holes in these friendships and the unimportance of her role within the entire dynamic. The looking glass had cracked. Artemis saw the beginnings of her world falling apart. And to think, a few hours earlier, she thought maybe she even had a crush on a boy...

In this hour, right here, right now, she felt small and weak. This huge force had absolute power over her, and no bow and arrow could make him go away so easily because he'd kill her before she even had a shred of a chance.

And when he called her baby girl, he just reaffirmed that she was pinned under his little finger with no hopes of escape. The team didn't want her, wouldn't want her. They'd find out. She'd collapse and fall. It was better to give in to the greater power today then have her heart broken all over again when the looking glass shattered, all the shards cutting her open.

"Tell me." She'd denied him before, but he would get the information tonight. Sportsmaster was on a job. Business. "Tell me everything I need to know."

She paused. Her eyes looked at that knife in the wall. She wasn't in this for her own life, she already knew she was worthless. She was in this because she was hurt, and she didn't want to keep feeling that way. For once, Artemis wanted to hurt someone back.

"Wally West. His real name's Wally West."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading and, as always, please leave comments, thoughts, and feedback (:**

**~Sky**


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